Influence of Media in Promoting Peace

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Influence of Media in Promoting Peace

What do you think is the role of the mass media in promoting peace? I’d really like to know your point of view on that and if you can contribute that as well would be great. Thank you.

Thank you. Actually, that is a very important question, because I feel that the media has not done a good enough job of focusing on all that is happening around the world that is positive and that is working. Obviously, we’re going to have the crisis, the violence, the dysfunctionality, the corruption, but we’ve made a big point of also covering what is working. We have dedicated sections. What is working? What is working in creating jobs? What is working in health? By putting the spotlight on what is working we can help scale it. It helps people to see where they may want to join and put their own energies. It helps them see that it’s not all despair and hopelessness, which is one of the worst things we can do to ourselves.

We have a section, for example, which is just dedicated to good news. It’s called our good news section. If you ever feel depressed, which I’m sure you never do if you are doing yoga everyday, but if you ever feel depressed go to the good news section because it really lifts your spirits. It connects you with all the positive ways in which you can lead your life and make difference in the world.

Today the media is like never before in terms of its reach. Anything that happens anywhere can reach every human being on the planet, which is a phenomenal power to influence people. As Arianna said, definitely that power has not been exercised in a most responsible manner. When we say media let us not just think the press or the television. There is cinema, there is other ways of internet media. Of course I don’t know if video games come under media, but …

Now everybody is on the internet. Even old fashioned newspapers, magazines, and TV.

When it reaches them, I think they could do tremendous things in the future. Til now I think largely children who found access to something have been excited about doing something. Not bothering about what it does to people. I think a time as come that our excitement levels can be brought down and we can see what is the impact we are having on people whether it’s positive or negative, and accordingly adjust this. Particularly cinema and these other forms which are continuously promoting violence and expecting people to be peaceful. Somebody even has the gall to say this is it. Otherwise, people would be rioting on the streets. Let them watch it in the cinema and it will be over. That is not right. It is inspiring people to do things.

We can’t blame everything on somebody for what we do, of course, but still young minds have influenced by these things. I think a more responsible way of exercising this, because it reaches the whole world. You do not even know what all people it is reaching across the planet. When such a power is there I feel it should be exercised sensibly. It’s wonderful that you have a good news section.

Actually, in India in a major newspaper, which sells over 2.5 million newspapers per day, physical newspapers, I convinced them to bring in a good news section about 15 years ago. That good news section initially got that much space, then got that much space, and then got that much space. About 3 and a half years it just vanished. Not that good things are not happening. It’s just that somehow the ugly things sell. The good things don’t sell. This is a cultivation of the audience also is important. Somebody is not going to print something if nobody is going to read it. Somebody is not going to make a movie if nobody is going to watch it. Cultivation of the audience … There are school teachers, and others, parents … I think we need to cultivate this from a young age that good is really good. Bad looks good for a day, but it is not good when it happens to you. It looks nice in the cinema somebody shooting somebody, but when you are shot at it’s not a very great feeling to be shot at.

Also, you know, we’ve discovered that it’s not true that good news doesn’t sell. Our good news section has a wait list for sponsors who want to sponsor it. The traffic is one of the highest traffic sites on The Huffington Post.

I would like you to introduce to the newspaper in India.

Yeah, I would like to talk to them. We are going to launch The Huffington Post in India. We’re going to have a very big good news section. Also, another point to your question is that we no longer have just big media companies having the power to communicate. The internet has changed that. You have the power to communicate. The mother that I mentioned who wrote a blog and reached millions of people, that’s what has changed now. In the past that wasn’t available. You had to kind of own the printing presses or have influence. Right now, anybody with something interesting to say and can say it in a compelling way or in a humorous way, because humor is fantastic online, can reach a very large audience and have an impact.

That is a very positive and a fantastic change that you don’t have to wait for somebody to sell a newspaper to you. You can write and put it … Wherever you want. Even that needs a certain evolution. People who feel responsible for what’s happening should change that.